Awards Ceremony in Abuja

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, have been recognized for their commitment to integrity at the Pillars of Integrity Awards 2026 held in Abuja. This marks the third honor for the university within a week.

NOUN received the Pillars of Integrity Institutional Excellence Award 2026, while Prof. Uduma was awarded the Pillars of Integrity Exemplary Public Sector Leadership Award 2026. These accolades were in recognition of the university's exemplary performance in the ICPC 2025 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard.

The awards were organized by Verbatim Magazine in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to celebrate integrity, transparency, accountability, ethical governance, and service excellence.

Vice-Chancellor's Remarks

In his acceptance speech, Prof. Uduma emphasized that the honor should prompt introspection rather than mere celebration. He stated that an award for integrity should encourage institutions to reflect honestly and act responsibly.

“Integrity is not a destination at which an institution arrives. It is a discipline that must be renewed every day. Integrity begins where convenience ends,” he remarked.

Represented by Ambrose Bernard Gowong, the Head of New Media at the university, the Vice-Chancellor noted that the true measure of a university extends beyond its students, research, and infrastructure. It fundamentally hinges on trust—whether students, staff, government, and society can rely on its processes, management of public resources, and the quality of its certificates.

He asserted that a university cannot effectively teach truth without embodying integrity in its governance. For NOUN, which aims to extend education beyond geographical boundaries, the responsibility to establish fair, transparent, and reliable systems is even more critical.

“Good intentions are important, but enduring institutions require good systems. Vice-Chancellors come and go. The institution remains,” he noted, emphasizing that institutional integrity is about creating a system where doing the right thing becomes the norm.

Dedication and Future Commitment

Prof. Uduma dedicated the awards to the Governing Council, Senate, Management, staff, Study Centre Directors, and students of NOUN, highlighting that no Vice-Chancellor governs alone. He cautioned that recognition should not lead to complacency, stating, “Recognition must never become a pillow upon which achievement goes to sleep.” He stressed that being recognized as a pillar of integrity is an obligation that must be fulfilled daily.

He further stated that national development is not solely reliant on infrastructure but also on the infrastructure of trust, which must be cultivated through fairness, accountability, and responsible stewardship. “Public office must be understood as a trust. We occupy offices; we do not own them,” he remarked.

Prof. Uduma expressed gratitude to Verbatim Magazine for the recognition, affirming that the awards would serve as a catalyst for NOUN to enhance transparency, strengthen its systems, and uphold academic standards.